Compact fluorescent lamps in which a discharge vessel is coupled to a base are rapidly replacing incandescent lamps due to the low energy use with respect to available light output. The compact fluorescent lamp is formed by a pair of interconnected tubular elements which are secured into a cap portion of the base. The base has a further bottom portion which retains a printed circuit board on which suitable circuit elements are located, forming ballasts and/or other circuit components to operate the compact fluorescent lamp directly from electrical supply mains. These direct replacement compact fluorescent lamps are expensive, and a substantial portion of the costs is due to the complex manufacturing steps required in their manufacture. One of these manufacturing steps is the electrical connection of the current supply leads from the discharge vessel to the respective connections of the ballast or accessory circuit. In incandescent lamps, two leads connect directly to the supplies from the base. In fluorescent lamps, however, two electrodes are located at both ends of the fluoroscent lamp, resulting in four leads, which have to be connected to a ballast or an accessory circuit which, in turn, is connected to the base terminals, for example a screw-in or "Edison" base. Connections for compact fluorescent lamps, as previously used, provided for crimping the supply leads from the discharge vessel to the connecting leads of the ballast by a metal clip or crimping the supply leads to contact pins in the cap which in turn can be so placed that upon assembly of the cap portion to the bottom portion of the base, the pins engage into counter terminals on the printed circuit board in the bottom portion. The referenced publication, by the inventor hereof, European Published Patent Application 0 179 251, describes such an arrangement. The current supply leads to the electrodes are connected electrically to the contact pins, by crimp or similar connection. This type of making contact while at the same time assembling the cap portion, in which the discharge vessel itself is already secured to the bottom portion is expensive since terminals must be secured in the cap and bottom portion.